The Diversity in Organizations Group(DOG) will
pursue research in order to identify and prevent barriers to
success for members of stigmatized and marginalized groups across
organizational contexts. The research agenda of this working
group will focus on issues such as: 1) recruitment and retention
of marginalized group members, 2) their human resource development,
and 3) assessing and improving climates for diversity within
institutional contexts such as the workplace or educational
institutions. Outreach efforts of this working group will involve
providing applied research and developing and implementing research-based
interventions in order to meet organizations’ diversity-related
needs.

One potential strategy for providing these services will
be through establishing a Georgia think tank on workplace diversity.
Ultimately this working group will also provide professional
and continuing education opportunities (such as Athens and Gwinnett-based
workshops) targeted to individuals and to organizations. This
work could potentially be funded by corporate foundations such
as those of Shell Oil and Exxon Oil, which have initiatives
related to diversity. Non-profit foundation initiatives such
as the Spencer Foundation’s funding priorityon Organizational
Learning, and the Russell Sage Foundation’s initiative
on the Future of Work may also provide opportunities
for funding this working group’s engaged research agenda.